Quran and Bible

Started by Reader Comments, March 10, 2012, 11:07:23 AM

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Reader Comments

Greetings,


Joseph I come to you with the greatest gratitude, your work has blessed me tremendously. For the past few weeks I've been struggling with my faith and found myself searching for truth, but your studies, believe it or not, has led me to the Gospels of Jesus Christ. In my perspective, through an abundance of material I've gathered..including yours..I have conclude that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah indeed. Based on your current studies, I'd assume you have no problem with this since you yourself support the view that The Gospels, Torah, and Qu'ran are One.
So I thank you for confirming Jesus Christ through your works. Especially from a Muslim's (Qu'rans) Perspective which says a Whole lot..But I do have a few questions..

1. You support the view that the Bible has been altered? Under "The People of the book" you state..   
"Note - By the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) (Late 6th early 7th century), parts of the Bible had already undergone changes and a creed had developed (The Council of Nicaea congregated in 325AD). The Quran however, is still clearly recognising the text that lay with them". If not..then what kind of changes? And if so..is there evidence to support this view? 

2. Since you support the view that the Gospels is the word of Allah and you believe in Jesus's crucifixion..and you also support the view that Mohammed does not come from a prophetic lineage of any kind...Then why do you believe Mohammed was a prophet? Especially if the Gospel says that Jesus is the LAST/Seal of the prophets? John 6:27  "Do not labor for the food that is perishing, but for the food that is remaining to everlasting life, which the Son of Aḏam(Jesus) shall give you, for the Father, Elohim, has set His seal on Him(Jesus)."
John 3:33 "He who receives His witness(Jesus) has set his seal that Elohim is true."

Anyway, I look forward hearing from you. I thank you again! and may you continue to be blessed with truth!.

Joseph Islam

Dear [name withheld],

Peace to you,

I am so happy to learn that some of my academic work has been of some small assistance to you. As a believer in one God of the Universe, the God of Abraham, Noah and Adam, nothing makes me happier when someone writes to me saying they have faith in God and God alone.

If aspects of the testimony of the Quran (not clouded by common Muslim agendas and Islamic secondary sources) has appealed to your sensibilities, certainly in the areas of what you recognise as innately true, why not keep an open mind about the Quran being the word of God? Just an open mind...

After all, it was the Quran that brought to me to really love Jesus, to love Moses, to understand my Christian and Jewish brethren. It smashed my concept of drawing distinctions between messengers of God and elevating the status of Muhammad to one above all Prophets where I had no warrant to do granted by the Quran. These are theological beliefs in Muslim thought followed by over billions today despite no support in scripture. Would it be a surprise then that billions of Christians were following beliefs which had no support in their scripture?

Nothing changes. It is human tendency which is influenced by dark forces which often corrupts the truth.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour"   
Bible: 1 Peter Chapter 5, Verse 8

After all, there is nothing fantastic about this. One always attempts to protect what they have. Many Jewish brethren would not be prepared to believe in the testimony of what came after them by way of Jesus's mission. Disappointed Christian brethren at the early Jewish position, would have been just as inclined not to accept what came after them by way of Muhammad's mission. Nothing fantastic at all. If there were a messenger to come today, many Muslims would do exactly what their predecessors did and reject anything that came after them. Once again, nothing fantastic. It is just human tendency to reject what comes after and protect blindly the ways of one's forefathers.

I am an academic and also a believer in God. Before I embarked on this journey (many many moons ago), I had no idea what I was about to discover. I had absolutely no idea where this journey was going to take me. But I put my faith in an unseen Creator and started to walk in His name asking Him to show me the way. I pray ardently that our Lord shows both you and me the way to truth and protect us in His infinite mercy.

Certain Biblical textual changes (some accidental, some intentional) are well appreciated in Biblical scholarship. If this is an area you are not familiar with, please let me know and I will be happy to share with you some examples. Some beliefs are clearly theological and are retrospectively supported by isolated passages of the Bible. A scholarly history of the Biblical canon and textual development is very insightful.

For example, the Bible inherently does not teach the Trinity. Yet this remains a fundamental belief of Christendom. Was it as fundamental before the Council of Nicaea in 325AD?

Throughout Biblical history, verses have been used by many Christians to support the Trinity. Some textual insertions and interpolations have also been intentionally inserted into the Bible to support the Trinity (for example, see the Comma Johanneum which is well known to Biblical scholarship). Albeit this is well appreciated today, men have clearly tampered with God's scriptures. Please see the related article below.

THE BIBLE DOES NOT TEACH THE 'TRINITY'
http://quransmessage.com/articles/trinity%20FM3.htm

The Quran's relationship with the Bible is worth contextualising. In essence, the Quran confirms (musaddaqan) the essence of the Bible. There is no denying this. But it also calls itself a 'guard' over the previous scriptures and something which establishes its truth, whereby it confirms its central truths and passes over other areas. Its intention is not to rewrite the Bible.

Finally to address you question about Muhammad's prophethood. I do not believe in Muhammad's prophethood because Muslims say so. I read a Book which claims to be from God. I thoroughly critique it, I intellectually reason with it, I ponder on its claims deeply, I cross reference it, scrutinise it and challenge it theologically, philosophically and to the best of what my faculties allow.

If and when I am convinced that it cannot be from anyone but God, I submit to it as truth. Then I say, whoever bought this message, be it George, Luke, Michael, a 5 year old or an Arabian prophet called Muhammad. Whosoever bought this message is a messenger of God. It happens that this message was delivered by a man called Muhammad who lived in a certain slice of history. Therefore I conclude that Muhammad is the messenger of God as I accept the complete veracity of the Quran.

As to what the Gospel of John (which is not a synoptic Gospel) may advance with regards a claim, this is open to interpretation in light of the whole scripture, a deeper understanding of the Biblical canon and extant Christian theology.

Let us agree on one thing, We submit to the One Lord of the entire Universe, the God of Abraham and Adam. We worship Him alone. He is truly worthy of our worship.

A SINCERE MESSAGE
http://www.quransmessage.com/articles/a%20sincere%20message%20FM2.htm

Regards,
Joseph.
'During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act' 
George Orwell